Mechanics institutes in Maldon, Talbot and Ballarat are among a number across the state to benefit from state grants that were announced in Melbourne during the week.

Minister for Local Government Nick Staikos visited the Melbourne Athenaeum on Monday (May 26) to announce $109,000 for the Mechanics’ Institutes Grants Program 2024-25.

This funding will allow the Institute’s libraries to renovate their facilities, pursue historical projects, purchase books, software and equipment, and digitise records.

Mechanics’ Institutes were formed in the early 19^th century to provide free lectures and educational and community facilities in the UK. More than 500 Mechanics’ Institute buildings in Victoria are still used for community groups, exhibitions, talks, and events.

Eleven Victorian Mechanics’ Institutes continue to provide a library service and will each receive funding of $9,000 under the grants program. The peak body Mechanics’ Institutes of Victoria will also receive funding of $10,000.

Victoria’s first Mechanics’ Institute – the Melbourne Athenaeum in Collins Street which formed in 1839 – will use its grant on an oral history project, recording interviews with artists, performers, historians and others associated with the building. 

The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute (PMI) will update the IT infrastructure that supports its various collections.

Footscray Mechanics’ Institute will spend its grant on new books and building refurbishment while Berwick Mechanics’ Institute will purchase new books and chairs.

The Mechanics’ Institutes of Victoria will use its grant to build, print and bind its collection, upgrade its website, update its accounting software, review its workshop and digitise its records.                                  

The other Mechanics’ Institute libraries receiving funding include Ballarat, Bonnie Doon, Little River, Maldon, Stanley, Talbot and Toora.

It’s just on one year since Ellen Gladman took over Maldon’s much-loved Lolly Shop. April 24, 2024 to be precise. So she’s made it through the chocolate rush of her first Easter. 

Ellen had been in retail before, was looking for her own business and a bit of flexibility for her work/life balance. And she has always loved Maldon. 

“The Lolly Shop was available and ticked all the boxes along with a lot of potential in areas that I have skills for. It was already running very well and people loved it, but I knew I could make a few little changes.” 

They included turning a unit out the back into a lovely B&B – using her background in interior design, and decorating the shop by “leaning into the enchanted nature of the business”. 

The community “I’ve done it all quietly and slowly. The community was a little worried when I bought the business, just because they love it, but they are happy with the changes I have made. I’m getting good feedback – and have ticked all the things off my list that I wanted to get done in the first year, and then some.” 

And while many of her customers are locals, they also come from all over Australia including one-off visitors and people travelling through on business making a little detour for their favourite lolly. 

Goldfields 

“I also get people from as far away as Darwin – one little boy was in recently and said the shop was stacked – and there was nothing like this at home, and we even get international visitors because people love the Goldfields.” 

Ellen said she loves the nostalgic memories her lollies evoke from customers who remember lollies from when they were kids. 

Nostalgia 

“That’s the bit I love. I love working with the customers and the people. And lollies are a real trigger for nostalgia. You can literally see people finding memories they haven’t had for ages while they talk about their local milkbars or buying lollipops at the pool. 

“I even had one woman come in and tell me her family owned a milkbar and she used to run it when she was just 13. It’s lovely to hear all the stories.” 

Asked to name her three favourite lollies, Ellen pauses for a moment. Perhaps it’s like naming your favourite child.

Favourites 

“It changes all the time,” she says. “I find one and I get into it for a little while and then I’ll change. But at the moment it’s butterscotch that’s made in Ballarat and I can’t get enough of that. 

“We also have a maker in Maldon who does our fudges, so second is rocky road fudge with all the biscotti flavours. 

“Hmmm. Chocolates would be the dark raspberry bullets, I just tasted them again, and it was, yep, that works well.” 

Ellen said unlike many kids she never imagined she would own a lolly shop. Living her best .

“But it’s really lovely watching people, especially kids, come in and their eyes light up. And just this morning I was walking back down to the shop after getting a coffee, and it was quiet and warm and the swallows were diving everywhere and you could hear the rosellas…and I thought ‘I chose well’. This is a lovely place to spend my days.” 

Words: Donna Kelly

The weather may be cooling down but Maldon is determined to warm up with its annual Maldon in Winter Festival starting today and running through to July 14.

The entire town is in on the act with offerings from steam trains and bonfires to art exhibitions and live music. And much more!

A heritage steam train will depart Castlemaine in darkness and make its way through the chill
night air to Maldon.

There will be entertainers on-board from the Castlemaine Circus and once it arrives at Maldon visitors will be taken to the Maldon Machinery Museum where there will be plenty of food stalls, musical entertainment and of course a bonfire to keep everyone warm on a brisk night.

There’s also a stop at Muckleford to experience something very rare – a listening stop where the train will slowly back away from the station in to the ironbark forest and then repeat the arrival in to the platform with a mix of steam, whistles and movement, all illuminated only by the steam train’s headlight and the full moon.

The Cascade Art Gallery will be hosting its Winter Salon exhibition featuring artworks by David Moore, Liz Sullivan, Dean Bowen, Sam Varian, Julie Andrews, Craig Gough, John O’Loughlin, Robert Maclaurin. Introducing Chris Delpratt, Roz Avent and Sheridan Jones.

Meanwhile the Maldon Artists Network (MANet) Small Works Exhibition showcases works from a number of selected local artists.

And don’t miss the tongue-in-cheek Comedy Cabaret Burlesque from the Queens of Tease. Performing at the Maldon Progress Hall on July 5 and 6, The Bliss Bombs will perform sultry cabaret, dance and tease with lashings of vintage costume and cheeky comedy.

To make the night a real occasion, dress to impress in vintage glamour and book a table with friends. There’s plenty more happening throughout the festival so check out the website at www.maldon.org.au/maldon-in-winter

Words: Donna Kelly

In a fruitful relationship, the Maldon Artists Network (MANet) has partnered with EDGE Galleries in Maldon to present the 2023 Maldon Landscape Prize for painting, drawing, and mixed media.
The generous prize of $10,000 is sponsored by the HMR Foundation and will be
judged by highly respected landscape painter, Mary Tonkin.
Mary Tonkin works en plein air, a process documented for the first time by the
National Gallery of Victoria for its web series inspired by the exhibition She-Oak
and Sunlight: Australian Impressionism, 2021. The stereotypical notion of the smock-
wearing artist perched imperiously on a hilltop, or ponderously surveying a vista, is
anathema to Tonkin’s robust practice.
The Maldon Landscape Prize encourages artists to personally interpret the
landscape. The theme ‘Essence of Place’ invites artists to bring their skills: everything
they know, observe, and apprehend, to create work for consideration that may be
formal, technically balanced, out of order, maverick, wildly inventive, traditionally
understood, arresting, composed, sublime, joyous, anguished, abstract or a combination of those.
The work has to conform to certain requirements including: being no more than
80cm wide, and available for sale. From the 177 entries, three judges have pre-selected
41 works to be judged by Mary Tonkin. All judges are working totally ‘blind,’ which
means they do not know the names of the artists. Thus, the works are judged purely
on the piece in question, not the artist’s reputation. Imagination, technique, and
composition are some of the criteria on which the judges base their decisions. Works
are not necessarily realistic. They could be quite abstract. There have been entries by
many Goldfields artists, as well as further afield, including Sydney and Queensland.
The $10,000 prize is provided by the HMR Foundation which is based in
Italy. The Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati has a passion for the service of art,
creativity and social inclusion. It is a platform created to support contemporary
figurative arts, to protect young talents, and to contribute to the evolution of
creativity. The People’s Choice Award is worth $1000. Works will be available to view
online from November 19 to February 14, after the opening in October.
EDGE Galleries’ opening hours for the Maldon Landscape Prize are 11am – 3pm,
Wednesday – Sunday, from October 29 until November 11. EDGE Galleries is at
35-37 Main Street, Maldon. Link: www.maldonartistsnetwork.org.au

The Mount Alexander Shire Council is offering free green waste disposal to help its residents prepare homes and properties for the upcoming fire danger period.

Residents can dispose of green waste at no cost at the Castlemaine and Maldon transfer stations from Saturday 25 November to Monday 11 December.

“Council is encouraging residents to take advantage of the free green waste disposal period to clear their property of fire hazards ahead of the bushfire season,” said Luke Ryan, Emergency Management Coordinator at Mount Alexander Shire Council.

“It’s important to take steps to reduce the risk of fire around your property in the lead-up to summer”, said Mr Ryan.

“Things to do in your garden to prepare for summer, include pruning bushes, cutting overhanging branches, clearing out gutters and relocating piles of wood away from buildings”.

The early development of Australia from its roads to farms would hardly have been possible without the contribution of heavy horses.
They were the trucks and tractors in the time before mechanisation took over, and the most well known of these hard working creatures was the Clydesdale. And despite their size they are considered one of the most docile of horse breeds, with a kind temperament.
However, compared to other breeds such as stock horses or thoroughbreds which are foaled in the hundreds every year, there are comparatively few Clydesdales. Their numbers plummeted after WWI and while there has been a resurgence over the last few decades, there are less than 3000 registered animals in Australia and maybe 10,000 worldwide.
With such a small gene pool, as a breed they were once considered vulnerable to extinction. But that is not going to happen anytime soon thanks to the work of horse people such as Matthew and Jaimie Thompson of Sandy Creek Clydesdales outside of Maldon.
“We have been slowly building up our breeding program since we established the stud in 2014,” says
Matthew, “and we hope to produce seven foals (all registered) this year all of which will be broken in and trained for both riding and harness.”
Matthew and Jaimie’s stud sits on 25 hectares outside of Maldon where they currently run over 20
horses including their stallion Sandy Creek Albert, seven brood mares and an array of colts and fillies.
They share all the day-to-day chores on the farm and training duties and their operation is part of the Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society of Australia (established 1918). And, along with their children Hunter, pictured above with his parents, and Billie, the young couple are making a mark in the small specialist world of Australian Clydesdales.
“We have always wanted to improve on the qualities of the horses we have,” says Jaimie. “We will keep all the fillies we produce and we are transitioning to breaking in more of our own horses and suitably matching them to future owners. Over the next eight years we will be building stables and looking at buying another block of land to grow feed.”
The Clydesdale breed was founded in the early 18th century in Scotland when two breeders, John Paterson of Lochlyoch and Scottish peer James Hamilton, imported Flemish stallions and mated them with native draught mares in the Clyde Valley. From these beginnings thousands of Clydesdales were exported to many countries of the world and were known here as the horse that built Australia.
At Sandy Creek Clydesdales they are keeping this history alive, maintaining their traditional role under harness as a work horse.
Matthew is an experienced blacksmith and heavy fabrication engineer and makes and repairs all forms of carriages which allows him to bring the horses out for all sorts of events from weddings to historical displays. However Jaimie is quick to point out that the breed is highly suitable for other tasks
“Riding is actually where the Clydesdales are going. Because these days not everyone is like a farmer who needs eight horses to serve as a tractor. Today most buyers just want one or two. They are used to do dressage, jumping and at Melbourne Royal they have the heavy horse ridden classes. Also Clydie crosses are frequently used as bronc horses in rodeo competitions.”
As the weather finally grows a little warmer this month, Matthew and Jaimie have a very hectic schedule to juggle including clinics, carriage hires and a lot of travelling.
“Our schedule turns pretty chaotic,” says Jaimie. “We are off to Victor Harbour in South Australia to assist with their horsedrawn tram and have Melbourne Royal Show coming up.
“We are competing there but also have Clydesdale and blacksmithing displays going on for the whole 11 days. After that we are off to the Elmore field days doing cart rides then to Nhill in Western Victoria. Then there are weddings in between with the horses and carriages as well as breaking in for outside clients.”
Words & image: Tony Sawrey

A multi-agency rescue effort has saved a puppy from a mine shaft at Maldon in recent days.

The CFA was called to a dog trapped down a mine shaft located off the South-Parkins Reef Road at Maldon on Father’s Day, Sunday September 3, just after 4.20pm.

​Firefighters found the dog ‘Marah’, a 12 month old Labrador, had fallen around 25 metres down the mine shaft.

Marah went missing during a Father’s Day bush walk and was found around 300 metres away from where the family were walking.

CFA’s specialist mine rescue team, Oscar One, was called to the scene.

​Atmospheric monitoring was undertaken while crews prepared to enter the mine.

​CFA, SES and FRV crews worked together to safely rescue Marah from the mine shaft.

The excited puppy was glad to be reunited with family and was lucky to have no injuries.

Fans of strings music will be well pleased to see that Ballarat-based Klemantyne Ensemble have a few performances in the Daylesford-Ballarat region on their agenda.

This Sunday July 30 at 2.30pm they’representing an afternoon soiree, ‘Regency’in the Ballroom at The Grand Ballarat – a mix of baroque and modern melodies which ensemble members say will probably “transport both your heart and imagination back to another era”.

Nicci Dellar – leader of Klemantyne: “This advertised concert is a blend of Baroque music, some well known works eg, The Four Seasons, and then a big contrast to more modern works.

“We have named the concert “Regency” but it is also a little “Bridgerton” influenced… which is also suited to The Grand, Ballroom Venue.”

And there’s more in store for this local group of talented musicians with dates at Maldon, Creswick and Daylesford all on their program ahead.

“Our concert Number 2, is on Saturday 5^th August in Maldon at Holy Trinity Church,” Nicci says.

“This is a Baroque concert, which will tie in with the Maldon Gothic festival.

“Concert Number 3, is at the Creswick Woollen Mill on Sunday 15^th October… Stay tuned more to come.

“And finally, concert Number 4 is on Saturday 28^th October, back again at the Christchurch in Daylesford. We are hoping to have our lovely Harpist coming out from Italy. (That’s) not yet confirmed though.”

Recently opened in Maldon, the MANet artists’ gallery is a collective of eight local artists who are all excited about the opportunity to exhibit, and sell their work, locally.
The group consists of six visual artists, a jeweller and a woodturner Each month one of the artists in the collective will exhibit their work as feature artist of the month.
From 26th June to 24th July Mark Wardle (Pictured above) will be the inaugural feature artist.

Mark uses woodturning as the basis of most of his work, with pieces often embellished with texture or carving. He has always enjoyed working with wood trying to bring out the natural beauty of the material whilst also working with the inherent imperfections that wood contains. Many of his pieces start with
preliminary sketches that are inspired by organic forms or different styles of graphic art. He has always enjoyed the challenge of adapting these elements into turned work. In this very retrospective exhibition, you will see many ways in which he has approached this challenge.
“It is my hope that the visitor will enjoy the many ways in which I have come up with ways to express these adaptions on turned work and also enjoy the contrast between the very delicate pieces, and others that reflect the ruggedness and brutality of trees that grow in Australia’s often-harsh environments.” Along with the exhibition of woodturnings will be some of Marks graphic art and kinetic sculpture (also made from wood) called ‘The Marble Steps’ (pictured above).

Mark uses woodturning as the basis of most of his work, with pieces often embellished with texture or carving. He has always enjoyed working with wood trying to bring out the natural beauty of the material whilst also working with the inherent imperfections that wood contains. Many of his pieces start with
preliminary sketches that are inspired by organic forms or different styles of graphic art. He has always enjoyed the challenge of adapting these elements into turned work. In this very retrospective exhibition, you will see many ways in which he has approached this challenge.
“It is my hope that the visitor will enjoy the many ways in which I have come up with ways to express these adaptions on turned work and also enjoy the contrast between the very delicate pieces, and others that reflect the ruggedness and brutality of trees that grow in Australia’s often-harsh environments.” Along with the exhibition of woodturnings will be some of Marks graphic art and kinetic sculpture (also made from wood) called ‘The Marble Steps’.

The MANet Arts Focus gallery is located at 27 Main St. Maldon. It is open from 10am to 4pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and most public holidays.

Words: Eve Lamb. Images: Supplied

There’s bound be quite a few local households glued to their teev screens for this evening’s premiere screening of new ABC comedy series Gold Diggers.

Not only does the new ABC TV and ABC iview series promise a uniquely comedic romp through the old central Victorian gold mining era, it also features many current locals from the wider Daylesford, Castlemaine and Ballarat area, who were extras for filming of the series that took place early this year.

The debut series was largely filmed at local locations including Maldon’s Porcupine Village which series producer Muffy Potter of KOJO Studios (that co-produced the series) says was just perfect as it’s already an 1850’s historical gold mining themed tourism attraction.

Gold Diggers is a riotous, rapid-fire, eight-part series that follows Gert and Marigold (played by Claire Lovering and Danielle Walker), two sisters who move to the gold fields in the 1850’s in the hopes of catching newly-rich idiots to marry.

The dialogue is modern and brilliantly witty, featuring modern day lingo that jars hilariously with the 1850’s setting.

“In total we had 72 extras from the local area,” said Muffy, speaking to The Local in recent days about what it was like filming in Regional Victoria amongst the rich gold rush history, and why it was important to cast some locals in the series.

“It was really important to us to find a group of locals from the area,” she said.

This was partly due to their ready availability on set when required, but the wealth of historical local knowledge held by those who reside in the area also came in extra handy during filming as well.

“Many of the locals (who were extras during filming) knew a lot about the gold rush and were happy to pass on that information,” the series producer said.

“We even had one local extra who was able to tell us that we weren’t using one of the props properly.”

Considerable effort was made to faithfully capture historical details and intricacies of the time with the production team also worked with local historian Fred Cahir.

“I should say that this is not a history lesson. It has a modern vernacular, but we were trying to stay true to history,” Muffy says.

“It (the gold rush era) was an incredibly exciting moment in history and a lot of story lines were very much inspired by actual events.”

Some of the shenanigans, that history indicates occurred on the old goldfields, are just one aspect that the series aims to honour.

“By all accounts there was a great deal of partying in the goldfields,” Muffy muses.

She also says it’s pretty interesting to see just how many issues from back then are still issues today.

“It’s surprising how relevant 1850s issues can relate to contemporary issues – like the evolution of feminism, society’s’ approach to equality – racial equality and gender equality. Also the distribution of wealth was very much an issue then as it is today.”

There is no doubt, though that Gold Diggers is “a comedic romp” the series producer says.

“Comedy pushes the boundaries and the envelope and goes to contemporary issues. Good comedy can push the boundaries when it comes to social issues.”

Muffy says about 50 percent of the filming for the series was done in the area, much of it at Maldon’s Porcupine Village with some scenes also shot at a couple of locations in Newstead and at a farming property at Baringhup West, just out of Maldon.

Muffy says filming had originally been planned to take place primarily at a location in South Australia, with the Maldon area initially down among the secondary alternative options. But when she visited Maldon and its unique historically themed Porcupine Village the series producer knew they’d struck gold.

“The (village) property had been put up for sale in 2020 and somebody sent me the ad,” she said.

“Once I walked down that street I knew that was our town. There are still diggings at the Porcupine Village. It felt really right”

While Gold Diggers premieres on ABC TV and ABC iview this evening, Wednesday July 5 at 9.10pm, Muffy says the series was always intended for an international audience.  This means that the central Victorian goldfields locality is destined to be showcased far and wide.

“The intention of this show is for the global marketplace and to show off this part of the world is very exciting,” Muffy said.

“It’s been fantastic to explore that local area. It’s absolutely stunning.”

She says that the producers are also “very hopeful” that this first series of Gold Diggers will be followed by a second series. Should that turn out to be the case, there’s no doubt, Muffy says, that the cast and crew will be returning to Maldon and the wider goldfields locality.

“We hope to have a series two and we would definitely return to the area and to Porcupine Village. We couldn’t afford to build something like that.”

The Mount Alexander Shire Council has released updated design guidelines for new development in the historic town of Maldon.

The updated Maldon Design Guidelines document will help permit applicants (including property owners, architects, planners and builders) in preparing designs for new buildings, works or alterations to existing buildings where the Heritage Overlay or the Significant Landscape Overlay applies.

They will also assist Council’s planning and heritage team in assessing permit applications.

The updated guidelines provide direction for new development in areas such as:

• conservation, maintenance and demolition of buildings
• building alterations and additions
• commercial alterations
• detail design (e.g. driveways, fences and crossovers)
• colours
• signage (e.g. advertising and historic signs).

Council has been working on updating the guidelines since 2018 in collaboration with the project advisory group, which is comprised of Maldon community members, and key stakeholders and government agencies such as Heritage Victoria and the National Trust.

Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Tarrengower Ward Councillor, Stephen Gardner, said he was thrilled to see the project to update the guidelines come to fruition.

“The original guidelines were adopted in 1977, and this the first time that they have been thoroughly reviewed and updated”, said Cr Garner.

“Council worked closely with Maldon community members on this, and I’d like to thank them for their significant input throughout this process.”

“Maldon is home to some beautiful, historic buildings which tell a story about the region.

“In developing these updated guidelines, we’re making sure that we don’t lose that.”

The revision to the guidelines will bring the guidelines up-to-date in terms of heritage status, planning policy and legislation; remove errors, anomalies, and repetition, and add context to prescriptive provisions.

They are consistent with current planning policy and legislation, while making them easier to use for residents, property owners, businesses, architects and builders.

To find out more about the project’s background, or to view the updated Maldon Design Guidelines, visit www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/MaldonDesignGuidelines.